Re: Where does the tone come from?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilk420

Glen, I know you said we assume the settings are relatively similair, but why would we assume that when the debate is over what has a bigger affect on tone? Of course gear has a bigger affect on tone, assuming of course you actually turn a knob.

because people can't grasp "tone is in the fingers". this "tone" we are referring to IS from the fingers (ie. Page on a tele) not equipment (ie. Page not on a LesPaul).

the "tone" you are talking about is mechanical but unfortunately it does not apply in terms of the debate becuase it is so obvious and not what the debate is about in the first place (unless someone wants to argue a classical and electric guitar sound the same).

as Drew said, where you play a note effects "tone"... nevermind all the other frethand nuances that come after you fret it which are endless possibilities... glen

Re: Where does the tone come from?

So you can pick up a rickenbacker through a Behringer amp and make it sound like Comfortably Numb?

Drew, I'm not trying to start anything or come off like that, I do want to have a good discussion, so I hope I'm not coming off as a smartass, I am speaking with a bit of tongue in cheek here, but again, I agree 100% that your fingers are what make YOU sound like YOU. Like Rob was saying about Vai on Stern playing through that crappy amp, you could tell it was Vai. But that was because of his inflections, vibrato, everything that his fingers do that is unique to him, which we all have. But when I think of the word "TONE", I am thinking in a much more, say, mathematical way. If you recorded and analyzed Vai playing through his rig and the same thing through a crap rig you would still know it was him immediately, because of his "touch", and his "feel", but I think you would find the "TONE", the actual nuances of the frequencies would be dramatically different.

Re: Where does the tone come from?

because people can't grasp "tone is in the fingers". this "tone" we are referring to IS from the fingers (ie. Page on a tele) not equipment (ie. Page not on a LesPaul).

the "tone" you are talking about is mechanical but unfortunately it does not apply in terms of the debate becuase it is so obvious and not what the debate is about in the first place (unless someone wants to argue a classical and electric guitar sound the same).

as Drew said, where you play a note effects "tone"... nevermind all the other frethand nuances that come after you fret it which are endless possibilities... glen

But that is what Drew IS saying. That he can pick up any guitar and make it sound like the tone from Comfortably Numb. So if he took an Aria Pro II and plugged it into a Behringer amp, and you closed your eyes, you would swear that it was the rig Gilmour played??

Re: Where does the tone come from?

I'm not saying that the gear you use doesn't have some impact on your tone, Gilk. Obviously does, and it is responsible for a lot of the fundamental color of a guitar tone. However, my experience is that how you hit the strings and the way you fret also has a huge impact on the way the notes themselves resonate, which plays just as large a role in the shaping of your tone.

The last time we had this debate I think the argument that made the most sense to the "gear" guys is that yes, a good chunk of your tone does come from your gear. But, that last X% of it comes from you as a player and your touch on the instrument; not your phrasing or note choice or anything, but just the physical way you manipulate the strings. And, in my opinion, that last X% is what we as listeners latch onto and what we think of when we refer to a player's "tone." So sure, maybe even a majority of the shaping of a certain guitar tone comes from the gear, but the part that matters the most to the listener is in the player.

I couldn't even take Gilmour's exact rig and nail the Comfortably Numb tone exactly. That clip tonally sounds more like me, I'd argue, than it does David. However, if you handed me a Rick and a Behringer, could I record something that sounded recognizeably like the clip above? Hell, I haven't played a rickenbacker since I was 17 and I've never played a Behringer, but I'm sure I could.

Re: Where does the tone come from?

good summary by drew.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lefty Robb

A good example of this would be when Steve was on Howard Stern's show, he had his UV but didn't bring a amp, so the studio let him use some Rockman amp, although it sounded like Vai, the tone was horrible and sounded like crap.

and how do you know what his amp would sound like mic'd and broadcast over AM/FM radio?

it's alot to digest but you guys should just THINK about it rather than post trying to prove & rationalize your current belief ... glen

Re: Where does the tone come from?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Drew

The last time we had this debate I think the argument that made the most sense to the "gear" guys is that yes, a good chunk of your tone does come from your gear. But, that last X% of it comes from you as a player and your touch on the instrument; not your phrasing or note choice or anything, but just the physical way you manipulate the strings. And, in my opinion, that last X% is what we as listeners latch onto and what we think of when we refer to a player's "tone."